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Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S4W-05049

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Cumbernauld and Kilsyth, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 January 2012
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 23 January 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive how much each NHS board has paid in business rates in each year since 1999, broken down by (a) NHS board area and (b) local authority area.

Question reference: S4W-04623

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Cumbernauld and Kilsyth, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 12 January 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on mobile telecommunications masts being erected in the vicinity of schools.

Decisions on whether or not to grant planning permission for the erection of mobile phone masts are a matter for the planning authority in the first instance. Scottish Government planning policy on telecommunications infrastructure is contained in the Scottish Planning Policy (SPP). The SPP sets out the key issues to be addressed when planning authorities consider applications for mobile phone masts (paragraphs 248 to 254). A copy of the SPP is available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 50437) or can be read at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/publications/2010/02/03132605/0.

In relation to the health risks from radiofrequency radiation emitted by mobile phone base stations the Scottish Government is not aware of any compelling evidence to challenge the continuing validity of the conclusion of the Independent Expert Group on Mobile Phones (IEGMP) in their publication in 2000 on Mobile Phones and Health that there is no general risk to the health of people living nearby. The Scottish Government planning policy as set out in SPP reflects this position.

Question reference: S4W-04622

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Cumbernauld and Kilsyth, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 12 January 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what flexibility is available to local authorities in interpreting planning law and associated guidance.

Question reference: S4W-04697

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Cumbernauld and Kilsyth, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 12 January 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what expenditure is forecast for Springburn railway station as part of the Edinburgh Glasgow Improvement Programme and what proportion will be associated with any diverting of Cumbernauld services to Glasgow Queen Street low level.

Question reference: S4W-04625

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Cumbernauld and Kilsyth, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 12 January 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on jurisdictions internationally that have certain prohibitions on the erection of mobile telecommunications masts.

Question reference: S4W-04624

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Cumbernauld and Kilsyth, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 12 January 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on jurisdictions internationally that prohibit the erection of mobile telecommunications masts in the vicinity of schools.

Question reference: S4W-04691

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Cumbernauld and Kilsyth, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 12 January 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive (a) how many and (b) what proportion of planning applications (i) it has called in and (ii) have been the subject of an appeal to it in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority.

The information held by the Scottish Government on called in and appealed applications is contained in the following tables.

Note:

The numbers of applications used in the proportion calculations in Tables 1b and 2b are the total applications determined by local authorities for the financial years from 1998-99 to 2010-11.

Table 1a: Called in planning applications for the calendar years 1999-2011, broken down by local authority:

Planning Authority	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011
Aberdeen City	0	1	1	1	2	1	1	3	2	1	0	0	0
Aberdeenshire	1	0	1	2	0	8	0	2	2	4	0	0	2
Angus	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
Argyll and Bute	2	1	5	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Cairngorms	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
City of Edinburgh	2	0	2	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
Clackmannan	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	1	1	0	0	0
Dumfries and Galloway	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
Dundee City	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	1	0	1	0	0	0
East Ayrshire	1	0	1	0	0	1	1	0	1	0	0	0	0
East Dunbartonshire	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
East Lothian	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
East Renfrewshire	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Falkirk	0	2	0	3	0	2	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
Fife	2	0	0	1	1	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
Glasgow City	2	0	2	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0
Highland	6	4	11	0	2	1	5	3	5	4	1	0	0
Inverclyde	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Loch Lomond and the Trossachs	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Midlothian	4	5	3	3	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1
Moray	0	2	1	0	0	6	0	0	2	0	0	0	0
North Ayrshire	1	0	2	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
North Lanarkshire	9	4	4	6	7	5	5	3	3	0	0	0	1
Orkney Islands	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	1	0	0	0	0
Perth and Kinross	1	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Renfrewshire	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Scottish Borders	0	4	0	0	3	2	3	3	0	0	0	2	0
Shetland Islands	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
South Ayrshire	2	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1
South Lanarkshire	5	0	6	0	1	0	3	0	0	1	0	0	0
Stirling	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
West Dunbartonshire	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0
West Lothian	1	5	0	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Table 1b: Called in planning applications as a proportion of applications determined by local authorities in the financial years 1998-99 to 2010-11.

	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011
Total Called-in	45	30	41	18	24	37	21	21	21	13	2	2	5
Total Applications	42,004	43,599	41,633	45,092	48,007	48,131	56,720	53,391	54,597	53,396	47,220	40,495	42,058
Proportion (%age)	0.107	0.069	0.098	0.040	0.050	0.077	0.037	0.039	0.038	0.024	0.004	0.005	0.012

Table 2a: Appealed planning applications for the calendar years 1999-2011, broken down by local authority:

Planning Authority	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011
Aberdeen City	43	34	38	28	46	29	25	34	32	25	30	20	12
Aberdeenshire	50	43	66	64	50	55	57	54	88	84	79	46	23
Angus	16	11	8	14	12	23	22	22	31	38	26	7	1
Argyll and Bute	16	14	15	19	8	21	28	29	22	23	26	10	4
Cairngorms	0	0	0	0	0	1	4	4	0	2	8	1	6
City of Edinburgh	58	96	67	84	106	115	103	97	73	85	66	22	24
Clackmannan	7	11	2	4	6	2	3	8	6	5	8	0	1
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar	2	0	0	0	0	2	1	1	1	5	1	0	1
Dumfries and Galloway	9	19	11	4	24	22	36	32	29	31	23	10	9
Dundee City	21	10	16	22	10	15	28	28	39	35	18	6	8
East Ayrshire	13	14	18	21	21	16	13	20	16	20	17	8	8
East Dunbartonshire	10	20	16	23	21	21	34	14	28	24	13	4	3
East Lothian	13	21	6	13	13	16	13	13	7	12	26	4	5
East Renfrewshire	10	4	15	14	18	21	25	33	22	23	16	1	6
Falkirk	8	13	20	25	24	20	25	18	30	16	25	9	9
Fife	66	62	42	45	60	53	62	95	64	97	88	27	38
Glasgow City	27	37	34	33	32	47	49	67	65	39	39	11	6
Highland	25	34	38	26	43	59	49	67	82	71	63	23	19
Inverclyde	9	1	14	9	9	12	16	11	13	3	8	2	7
Loch Lomond and the Trossachs	0	0	0	7	5	15	8	14	8	15	8	1
Midlothian	14	19	17	20	9	14	16	20	15	12	13	8	4
Moray	19	17	12	15	12	31	35	34	55	38	14	4	4
North Ayrshire	7	7	11	12	9	15	21	31	29	19	22	5	4
North Lanarkshire	19	23	20	32	19	30	36	36	24	27	18	16	14
Orkney Islands	3	4	2	4	3	3	1	3	15	9	8	3	2
Perth and Kinross	34	42	26	39	55	73	87	62	77	108	95	20	17
Renfrewshire	27	27	26	32	21	29	29	25	27	21	20	4	1
Scottish Borders	20	24	16	19	32	20	47	41	48	54	39	13	7
Shetland Islands	4	5	1	1		2	5	2	2	3	3	3	3
South Ayrshire	25	15	15	17	11	22	29	30	40	43	22	5	7
South Lanarkshire	24	38	26	29	42	32	33	35	49	40	27	6	6
Stirling	21	26	23	17	18	15	15	13	17	9	7	5	5
West Dunbartonshire	11	7	8	9	7	9	9	14	18	8	5	5	1
West Lothian	7	13	20	21	24	25	29	32	34	47	28	11	4

Table 2b: Appealed planning applications as a proportion of applications determined by local authorities in the financial years 1998-99-2010-11:

	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011
Total Appeals	638	711	649	722	770	885	993	1039	1,106	1,091	909	320	269
Total Applications	42,004	43,599	41,633	45,092	48,007	48,131	56,720	53,391	54,597	53,396	47,220	40,495	42,058
Proportion (%age)	1.52	1.63	1.56	1.60	1.60	1.84	1.75	1.95	2.03	2.04	1.93	0.79	0.64

Question reference: S4O-00550

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Cumbernauld and Kilsyth, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 December 2011
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 12 January 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance is provided to local authorities on assessing the needs of home care service users.

Question reference: S4F-00343

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Cumbernauld and Kilsyth, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 12 December 2011
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 15 December 2011

To ask the First Minister what assessment the Scottish Government has made of the Reform Scotland report, Powering Scotland.

Question reference: S4W-03567

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Cumbernauld and Kilsyth, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 October 2011
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 3 November 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what it is doing to enable small businesses to compete more effectively against larger companies outwith Scotland for public sector contracts.

The Scottish Government is committed to using public procurement to drive the Scottish economy. This requires action on two fronts – we must make it easier for suppliers to access public sector contract opportunities and we must also ensure that Scottish suppliers are competitive and understand the public market well enough to construct winning bids.

We are working with suppliers (through the Supplier Engagement Working Group) to take action on both these fronts. In particular:

Public Contracts Scotland provides businesses with easy and free-of-charge access to contract opportunities. Since the launch almost 60,000 suppliers have registered (84% are SMEs) and regular e-zines are sent to these suppliers to update them on reform initiatives.

a Standard Pre-Qualification Questionnaire to be used by the entire public sector was published for consultation in December. We aim to award the contract to develop this system later in the year, and roll it out next year. This will ensure that only questions which are proportionate to the risk involved in a contract are asked, and also that suppliers only have to enter their answers into a database once – they can then be used for all procurement exercises.

Last week we launched an online guide for suppliers, the Supplier Journey, which seeks to explain the procurement process in straightforward terms meaningful to suppliers and gives practical information on how suppliers bid for business. The Supplier Journey will be regularly reviewed and updated based on supplier feedback.

At their last meeting the Supplier Engagement Working Group agreed to examine the SNP manifesto commitment to establish a unit to provide small and local businesses with advice to make them better placed to win public sector contracts in Scotland and throughout the UK.